Science & Nature Environmentalism The United Nations Law of the Sea The United Nations Law of the Sea regulates the commercial shipping and fishing industries. It also sets borders for international military craft access. Posted by Mike Brandolino | Last updated: Mar 25, 2013 The law sets the standard coastal border limits for commercial cargo and fishing vessels. Before the adoption of the Law of the Sea, commercial vessels from any nation had unrestricted access to all international coastal zones. History Ads by Google Chinese Economic Collapse Corruption, Manipulation, Bad Loans Is The China Bubble About To Burst? WealthDaily/China_Economy Chinese Products Buy Small Quantity In High Quality. Connect With Reliable Suppliers Now hktdc Organic Farming Learn how to farm organically Books, magazine on crops, livestock acresusa The first example of coastal border restrictions occurred in Chile in 1947. Chile set its coastal border to 200 miles offshore to protect its whaling interests. This arbitrarily defined limit eventually became the standard that all coastal nations adopted. Peru followed suit that same year and Ecuador in 1951, where tuna and anchoveta (Peruvian anchovy) stocks were the concerns of these nations. Anchoveta are dried, ground, and used for livestock feed and fertilizer. In 1952, Iceland extended its border from 3 to 4 miles offshore. This modest increase resulted in a skirmish with Great Britain for cod fishing rights. Since Iceland had a large enough navy to protect its interests, Britain reluctantly agreed to the new zone in 1961. In 1958, the first United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS I) took place in Geneva, followed by a second conference, UNCLOS II, in 1960. Michael Berrill states that both of these meetings were ineffective, since the participating nations were not willing to give up their historic rights, agree to fisheries protections zones, and allow military and commercial craft access to coastal waters. Michael Berrill states that soon after the second attempt failed, UNCLOS III (1974) was planned. In 1982, the final document, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) was finalized and signed by 159 nations, with the exception of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. This was probably an unexpected event, because these nations were strong proponents of the plan. The deep-seabed mining issues in the document were enough to deter these countries from signing the document. Berrill did not discuss the mining issues that were found to be objectionable. Edwin Meese, U.S. Attorney General under President Reagan, stated the UNCLOS III "...was out of step with the concepts of economic liberty and free enterprise that Ronald Reagan was to inspire throughout the world." In order to become an international law, the convention had to be ratified by sixty countries. The ratification proceeded at the rate of about six countries per year, even some landlocked countries agreed to its provisions. In November 1994, the document became an international law, about twenty years after the opening of the third conference. Coastal Border Limits The Law of the Sea established a 12-mile territorial sea for coastal nations, guaranteed passage of all ships through international straits, prohibited dumping of industrial waste on the continental shelf, and considered matters related to military passage, pollution, and mining. It was in the UNLS that coastal countries were granted the right to extend their territory to 200 miles offshore to create the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) or an Exclusive Fisheries Zone (EFZ). The EEZ grants rights to natural resources within the zone. Commercial and military craft from other nations are allowed to pass through the EEZ, both on the water and in the air. The primary purpose of the zone is to allow the respective nation to control its coastal fisheries industry or to ban detrimental distant-water fishing fleets Even with restricted access to coastal borders, there are claims that the fish stocks are being depleted from over-fishing. One problem with trawler fishing is that the catch is indiscriminate and everything in the path is taken from the sea, including, dolphins and sea turtles, which are usually injured or killed, during the legal fishing operations. Also, if abided, coastal border limits restrict access and provide protection from intruding military vessels and aircraft from hostile nations. To date, The United States has not ratified the Law of the Sea. References Berrill, Michael. The Plundered Seas: Can the World’s Fish Be Saved? San Francisco:Sierra Club Books. 1997. Oceans and Law of the Sea. United Nations. Accessed 8 JAN 2011. "Law of the Sea Discussed at Senate Armed Services Committee". 27 APR 2010. ratifylawofthesea.org. The PEW Charitable Trusts. Accessed 9 JAN 2011. UN Law of the Sea Treaty. National Center for Public Policy Research. Accessed 8 JAN 2011. Recommend th
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 06:42:12 +0000
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